36
I dressed slowly, trying to prolong my stay at home for more than I should.
Tonight was the celebration to announce my Binding to Randel. My mom had made Tegan pretty me up all day, and even had the gall to pick out a dress for me to wear. I didn’t want to go, but I had to.
Everything had gone in a downward spiral since last week, and I’d had not much say in anything. Not that I minded. I preferred being sour to anything else.
Now I stood in front of the mirror while Tegan adjusted the straps on my dress and played around with my hair, feeling like more of a mannequin than a living creature. They had me dressed in a tight knee length deep purple dress, made of nothing but silk, with a halter neck that did wonders for my bust.
Tegan had done wonders with my hair, pulling the curls with heat so they weren’t as coiled as they were before and pinned the top part of my hair up discreetly so it fell in natural alignment to the rest of the curls. I barely had on makeup, and wore an out of the way pair of matching purple shoes, but even though I looked admittedly better, I didn’t feel comfortable at all.
And it wasn’t just not wanting to go to the party, but dressing up for Randel, who I couldn’t stand. Tegan finished fixing the straps on my dress and stepped back to take a look at me.
“You look gorgeous,” she grinned.
I frowned at myself in the mirror, smoothing imaginary wrinkles on my thighs. “You too.”
She did look gorgeous, with her pink hair faded slightly so it looked like a gradient, curled softly about her face and the metallic layered fabric of the dress she wore highlighting her pale skin.
Tegan sighed. “Misha, everything will be over soon. Don’t be so glum.”
I sighed and obliged.
She handed me my purse and we exited the room, going down the stairs at snail’s pace for fear of falling in the high shoes we wore.
We came down the stairs just in time to meet my mom coming out of the living room, fastening a pearl earring into her ear.
“Don’t you girls look lovely?” she cooed appreciatively, brandishing a big smile.
She was wearing a simple, cream colored dress with ivory hued pearls sewn into the bodice to look like buttons. It was a nice contrast to her caramel hued skin tone. Arguably she looked lovely, but I didn’t acknowledge her. My mom was not one of my favorite people at present. Instead of grinning thankfully at her for the comment, as Tegan was doing, I looked away.
I watched out the corner of my eye as the brilliant smile she’d been wearing only seconds ago tightened, until it wasn’t a smile, but a forced baring of teeth as she tried to calm herself down.
A tense silence filled the space between us, until my dad walked in, snapping on his cufflinks and subsequently snapping the silence.
“Are you ladies ready?” he asked, oblivious to the black hole of apprehension he’d just walked into.
“Yes,” my mother said tightly, keeping her eyes on me. “Just let me get my purse.”
She turned around and snatched a pearl embroidered purse off the side table.
“The car’s started,” Hayden shouted down the hall.
“Good,” Tegan said happily, striding down the hall to follow him outside.
I followed after her slowly, mindful of the heels on the shoes I was wearing. I was almost out onto the porch when Tegan suddenly spun around, startling me out of my wits.
“What is it?” I cried, scrutinizing her surprised expression.
“I forgot my shawl,” she groaned, slapping her forehead before giving me a pleading expression. “Would you go get it for me?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Fine. Where did you leave it?”
“In the kitchen, draped over one of the chairs.” She said.
I wrinkled my nose at her. “I thought you’d left it upstairs. You’re so lazy.”
She pushed me back inside and winked. “I’ll see you in the car!”
I frowned at her as she bounded down the steps toward the car where Hayden was waiting. She probably was only sending me for her stupid shawl so she could get five minutes alone with my brother. Yuck.
Deciding I wanted to see no part of that confrontation, I trudged slowly back to the kitchen, looking around until I spotted Tegan’s familiar black shawl draped haphazardly over the open French door and not one of the kitchen chairs like she’d said. I rolled my eyes, snatching it down before closing the French door and closing the lock.
I swung the shawl over my shoulder and busied myself turning off the lights in the kitchen before heading out, but that’s when I heard the muffled voices in the hall.
Quickly, I stepped back into the kitchen, flattening myself against the drywall sideways, so I wouldn’t be seen or heard. Still, I was curious, so I pressed my ear to the wall, trying to get a gauge on the conversation.
“…it’s not my fault, is it?” I heard my mother say, though her voice was muffled through the wall. She sounded hurt.
“Of course it’s not your fault honey,” my dad told her soothingly. “You were thinking about her well being, and the Pack.”
I frowned.
“But she hates me now,”
“She doesn’t… hate you, per se… She just needs some time to adjust to the fact that she’s marrying someone who’s not her Mate. Just try to imagine yourself in her shoes.”
“But, she’s not adjusting. You know how she is. When Misha doesn’t want something, she won’t make it happen, end of story.”
Ah, so they were talking about me.
“She’ll come around.”
“No,” mom disagreed. “She won’t. We’re forcing her. I never wanted to force her into this. She liked him, now all of a sudden she hates him… Should we give her… more time?”
“No, you know the Kings won’t entertain that, already Simone doesn’t understand why Misha is so iffy about her son. Do you want to risk offending them?”
“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Simone,” my mother snorted. “That woman has shown her true colors and I can’t stand her. I want Misha happy.”
“So do I,” dad obliged. “But sometimes our happiness is hindered by what’s best for us.”
I heard my mom’s heavy sigh. “All right. But I don’t want her to look at me like she does, dear. It makes me feel wrong that my child must think of me as a horrible person.”
“It won’t be that way for long.” Dad replied. “Don’t fret yourself about it. Now go along and get into the car with them, I’ll follow you out in a moment. I just have to lock up.”
“Okay,” and with that, I heard high heels clicking against the wood floors as my mother strode down the hall and out the open door, into the night.
I breathed out and exited the kitchen, quickly heading out behind her.
I wordlessly slid into the backseat of my dad’s car, handing Tegan her shawl and looking out of the window. I caught my mom’s saddened gaze in the side view mirror, and quickly looked away from her, not allowing her to guilt me.
No matter how bad she must have felt about it afterward, she was still Binding me to a man I hated, and I would not forgive her. Not even if my life depended on it.
Dad got into the car moments later, and backed out of the driveway, beginning the drive to the council house, where the celebration was to be held. Everyone in the Pack was going to be there, even the elders—and I knew Tegan wasn’t exactly looking forward to that, because her berating grandmother was an elder and they would be forced to be speak to one another tonight.
Yet she looked gleeful as she lounged in my brother’s arms in the backseat, a calm sort of serenity covering her face. It was that expression that sent a pang of heart ache through me as I began to register that I would never see Liam again.
Maybe one more time.
One more night before…
I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. It would be impossible now to see him. By seeing him, I would be taking a great risk, a risk that bordered on my mortality.
I sighed heavily, settling heavily back into the seat.
We arrived at the council house in no time.
It was a contritely grand little place, made solely of bricks and fashioned in the traditional architecture of the 1500s. Little rose bushes crawled up the sides of the building, and the heavy mahogany doors gave a glimpse to how many had turned out to the affair tonight.
Dad parked the car and everyone got out, straightening our clothes before we proceeded into the building.
I was stunned to find so many people crowding the council room, while trays carrying flutes of champagne floated around the room like no body’s business. A piano was tinkling softly away, barely heard under the tinkle of glasses, the yammer of mouths and the belting of laughter throughout the crowd.
But things seemed to become quieter as the entire Pack realized I was here.
One by one, their gazes turned to me, scrutinizing my apparel and my appearance. I quickly livened up my face, so it would look as if I wanted to be here, even though I didn’t. Tegan gave my hand an encouraging squeeze. I gave her a thankful look.
Out of nowhere, a fleeting amount of congratulations from random patrons flew in my direction. Many shook my hand and waved at me, and I gracefully tried to swallow the bile in the back of my throat as I put on a smiling face and thanked them all.
“Congratulations Misha,” a voice came from behind me.
I turned to find Mrs. Tafferty standing behind us.
I felt Tegan go rigid beside me.
Mrs. Tafferty was a tall woman, and bore the same white blond hair Tegan had owned when she was little. It was elegantly twisted at the back of her head, but sadly it didn’t appease her appearance. While the woman was all slender, she was equally as pale as her hair, and the dress she wore tonight was white, while her lips were alarmingly red. She looked like something from hell.
“Thanks,” I murmured; I was never one to entertain Mrs. Tafferty either. She’d always scared me, and not from the way she treated her daughter, but she was just so cold.
“I expect you will be a great leader,” she continued with no emotion in her voice. “You have a brilliant background to work with,”
Her eyes flitted to her daughter and she got the most uninterested look in her eyes. How could she treat her own daughter like that?
“Ah, Tegan. You haven’t been home recently.” She said coldly.
“I’ve been spending the night at Misha’s mother.” Tegan replied with a clipped tone.
Her mother’s lips quirked up in a smirk. “Of course, but you do not indeed spend the night with Misha, now do you?”
I swore Tegan got paler.
“Excuse me—” I began, ready to admonish her mother.
“Mrs. Tafferty,” a deeper voice beat me to it.
I looked around and there was my brother, trying to hide the pissed expression on his face.
“You will not regard her like that.” Hayden said bitterly, and the older woman’s eyes widened. “She is your daughter; give her some more of your respect, yes?”
Mrs. Tafferty nodded, turning quickly on her heel and disappearing into the crowds.
“Thank you!” Tegan yelped, jumping on my brother.
He struggled to hide his satisfied smirk as he hugged her back.
“Misha, Randel’s looking for you.” Hayden said once Tegan had freed him. He caught the dreaded expression on my face and gave me a sympathetic glance. “Try your best to tolerate him, I know you can.”
I sighed, bringing up my shoulders, and forced a smile as I stepped forward, beginning the search for the man in question.
Somewhere along the way, I managed to secure a flute of champagne for myself, which made me a little giddy, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t want to be there, I wanted to go home. And that was when Randel appeared, in all the idiotic glory he possessed, grinning at me like the Cheshire cat.
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.
He held out his hand, still smiling, as if I were a prize and not a woman. Oh how I wished to knock that smile off his face and cut him down to size. I could if I wanted to, and subconsciously he knew that, but he was just trying to look Alpha enough in front of all of the wolves.
“I’ve been looking for you Misha,” Randel said as my hand found his.
“As I’ve heard,” I replied coldly, sipping from my champagne flute.
His lips knotted together, but he didn’t say a word, preferring to hold my hand instead.
Ew.
“Would you like to dance?”
“No.”
“How about meeting with everyone else?”
“No.”
“Then what would you like to do then?” he demanded, glaring at me.
“Don’t make a scene.” I growled, yanking my hand away from him. “I’d like to sit down and forget that I was never even brought here, that’s what I want to do.”
The bastard had the audacity to smile at me. “Of course, let’s find you a seat.”
It took all of my power not to berate him on the spot and throw my shoe at his head.
He sat me at a table at the front of the room, and I flopped down in the chair, looking out at the people that stood on the floor now. The band had struck up some music, and couples were whirling around the room, happy laughter filling the air.
Randel sat beside me, watching them all go past, with a mournful look in his eye which I frowned at.
Obviously, I wasn’t hiding my disdain for him much at all.
One of the women carrying the trays laden with flutes of wine and champagne swung around to our table and offered us glasses. Randel took a flute of champagne and I replaced my empty champagne flute with a glass of wine and set about drinking it. I didn’t want to be sober if I was going to spend all night here.
Hayden and Tegan joined the table after a while, striking up a conversation with Randel and me, but I was only limited to monosyllabic grunts that expressed my boredom in the situation.
“At least look like you’re having fun Misha,” Randel commanded after a little while, obviously getting very annoyed with my silence.
Tegan and Hayden exchanged looks and broke into quiet conversation.
My fingers choked the neck of the wine glass in my hand. “But I’m not, Randel.”
He sighed and I glared at the tapestry on the wall behind us.
“I didn’t say this before, but you look really nice,” he said, trying to liven things up.
“Thanks.” I said, giving him a look from behind the rim of my wine glass.
He flinched at the tone.
I did look nice, and I knew it. The lavish dress was something that suited my skin tone perfectly, and had just enough constriction in its pattern to make an interesting dress. I didn’t just look nice, I looked damn sexy.
I knocked back the rest of the wine, swallowing it in a gulp.
“I think I’ll have another,” I said, about to call the closest person with a drinks tray.
“I think you’ve had enough,” Randel observed.
I frowned at him and took another glass. “I don’t care what you think.”
I was about to throw back the rest of the bittersweet drink, but Randel snatched the glass from me, nearly spilling the liquid on my dress. I glared at him.
“Why would you do that?” I complained.
“You’ve had enough of it,” he frowned disapprovingly at me. “What are you trying to do, get drunk? At your own celebration? What are you, insane?”
I folded my arms. “No, actually I’m rather intelligent. I might not want to drown myself in alcohol if I weren’t being Bound to you, but seeing our situation...”
“Tegan, would you like to dance?” Hayden cut in, reaching for my best friend’s hand.
Obviously they wanted no part in our dangerous quarrel.
“Misha!” Randel cried, grabbing my shoulders. I shrugged him off. “I’m in love with you, isn’t that enough? Isn’t that enough for you to love me back, if not immediately then over time? I want to lavish you with everything of mine and you refuse me. Why can’t you just love me?”
“Randel, you can’t force someone to love you.” I replied, glaring at him.
He looked like he was about to explode. “Can’t you see I’m the best for you?”
“You’re damn conceited to think so.”
“Misha, Randel, are you getting along nicely now?” a voice broke through the anger mottled haze that swirled above our heads.
Mrs. King was standing behind us, her dark hair straight and hanging in a blunt style. She’d opted to go with a traditional black dress tonight, and though she looked lovely, the mocking expression on her face killed it.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Randel asked through his teeth.
“Oh, just checking on the future Alphas,” she turned to me. “Misha, it makes me so proud you’re choosing Randel to be your Mate, to lead the Leaf Pack with you. Very brave.”
“Mom,” Randel admonished.
She ignored him, clapping her hands together. “Oh! I’ve just had the most marvelous idea! Why don’t you two dance? After all, this celebration is mostly for you.”
Randel obliged. “Of course.”
He set down his wine glass and helped me to my feet, before leading me onto the dance floor, where he secured my hand in his own and wrapped his arm around my waist. Standing here like this while he tried to coax me into dancing with him felt so wrong.
He slipped his arm lower down my back, but I caught it before it go any further, shooting him a glare.
“You’re afraid of your mother aren’t you?” I goaded him once his arms were in the correct place again.
He didn’t answer, but his jaw tensed, giving me satisfaction that I was right.
“Answer me.” I said, digging my nails into his shoulder.
“Misha, that’s none of your business,” he said coldly, squeezing me around the middle.
“If I’m to be Bound to you then I believe it is my business how you go all foolish when she is around. I would not want my Mate to be soft.” I frowned at him. He gave me a pleading look, but I was no longer deterred by those eyes. “Tell me.”
“She just want me to have a good future, and a good life, and she believes it’s with you, because I love you.” He admitted.
I struggled not to laugh at him. What an idiot.
Everything was slowly falling into place now; I wondered why I hadn’t seen it before.
“I don’t believe it’s that at all; You would gladly leave me in peace if you loved me because you couldn’t stand to see me unhappy, but your mother goaded you into it, didn’t she? She wants you to become Alpha so you’ll become a prize to her and not a son.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Isn’t that true, Randel.”
He stared at me profoundly, his eyes showing the truth.
Yes, that was exactly what Simone King had done to her son. She wanted her future generation to be Alpha so badly; she would do anything to get it. And her foolish son obliged her.
I shook my head and snatched my hands away from Randel. Just he wait until my family heard about this.
“Misha!” Tegan bounded toward me out of nowhere. “Help me hide from grandma dude!”
“Where is she?” I asked, looking for the familiar white head of Grandma Tafferty.
“I just lost her,” Tegan panted. “Help me hide!”
“Okay! Okay!” I cried, pulling her onto the terrace.
“Thank God. I can’t stand that old woman. As if my mother isn’t enough.” Tegan rolled her eyes. “She thinks I’m a whore because I’m so close to my Mate.”
“I’m sure she only thinks that way because your dad isn’t her Mate.” I offered; I hoped I wouldn’t turn into that kind of person, not that I would let Randel close enough to me.
“True,” Tegan obliged, before she turned and looked at me. “How’s your night going?”
“Absolutely horrible.” I murmured, looking up at the night sky. “I swear, it’s enough that Randel just pisses me off, but he pushes it by getting me to bicker with him.” I sighed. “This is hardly what I wanted.”
Tegan gave me a reassuring smile. “I’m sure it’ll get better.”
“No, you hope.” I corrected her.
“Tegan Audra Tafferty, I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” A familiar voice boomed around us.
Oh no.
I’d know that voice anywhere.
Standing behind us was Grandma Tafferty, in all her cynical, scrutinizing glory. Who knew that a chubby old lady wearing, nursing clogs and walking with a cane could be so scary? I saw Tegan gulp beside me as Grandma Tafferty scrutinized her garb.
“You didn’t even come and look for your Grandma all night,” the little woman scolded, eyeing Tegan’s hair now. “And this outfit is just preposterous—I expected your mother to keep you on a tighter leash, but after she didn’t discipline you about that hair—Oh Lord! That hair! The harlot’s rouge I tell you!”
Tegan flushed deep red. “Grandma—”
“No, Tegan, I must refrain from admonishing you tonight—especially when you look so ghastly.” Grandma Tafferty turned to me, and I braced myself for the onslaught of insults she’d throw at me too. “Oh Misha, you’ve grown into such a lovely young lady.”
What?
Tegan stared at her grandmother as if she’d gone mad. I considered that she had. Where was the grandmother who used to pester me about dressing like a boy, and hiding all my natural curves? Where was the woman who once said that my chest was smaller than the quail’s eggs she had resting in her barn?
“Erm—thanks?” I replied, shocked beyond any other words.
She grinned cheekily at me, showing me her gums. “Now you keep those knockers in that dress of yours! Don’t let me hear about them! Already you have the attention of the entire Pack, young woman.”
I blushed furiously and crossed my arms over my chest.
Grandma Tafferty turned to Tegan and snatched her wrist up with her feeble old hand. “You! Come with me. We have many things to speak about. Especially this thing I hear about you sleeping in a boy’s bed—”
I stifled my giggle as the little woman dragged Tegan off the terrace and back to the party.
I sat on the bench once they were gone, looking out over the trees, and where the unseen Shadow land lay, and struggled not to cry.
Somewhere out there, Liam was awake, missing me like I missed him.
I missed his face, his laugh, the way his face hardened when you spoke of something that displeased him, his smile, his smirk, his gorgeous silver eyes, his kiss…
Just thinking about the many odd, secret occasions when he kissed me was enough to make me burst into tears. I laughed at myself; I’d never imagined myself to be this girl, the girl who felt so empty without the boy they loved, but it was as if he was a part of me now, and I would shatter myself trying to keep his memory alive.
“Misha?” I looked up this time, wiping away my tears quickly, to find my dad standing only a few feet from me.
“Hi daddy,” I tried to smile, but it was marred by the burning itch in the back of my throat. My bottom lip started to wobble and I was crying again, like a big baby.
A warm arm wrapped around my shoulders, rubbing smooth circles on my exposed skin as I poured out my emotions into my hands. Only when the tears ceased to come, and my tear ducts burned, did I look up at my father. He regarded me with the loving expression he’d had for me ever since I was a little girl, and that made me feel a little better inside.
We were quiet for quite some time, looking up at the stars together in silence.
“There is someone else isn’t there?” my father said softly, barely breaking the silence around me.
“What?”
“There is someone else. He is your Mate, not so?” dad said knowingly, looking at me with sparkling eyes.
“How did you guess so quickly?” I asked him.
“The Misha I knew a month ago would’ve married Randel if there wasn’t another person involved.” He said softly. “Why are you marrying Randel when you know there is a Mate out there for you?”
“Because, you wouldn’t approve of him.” I admitted. “We are too different.”
“You mustn’t be different if nature chose you two as Mates.” My father reasoned with me. “There has to be a purpose behind being Mated to this boy, isn’t there?”
“Maybe,” I shrugged. “But you still wouldn’t approve; whether I wanted to be with him or not.”
Dad gave me a sad look, but he said nothing as we sat outside and watched the stars.
Author's Note
:/
So, no Liam in this chapter, which some of you might hate me for XD But, I promise, in the next chappies to come, Liam will be there (giving you something to look forward to)!!!
MEDINA!! ---->
Forbidden is drawing to a close.
It should have its green tick by Sunday.
Thanks for reading!
Vote + Comment + Fan (if you haven't already :D )
xo-avalanche-xo